A high scorer on the field and in the classroom, lacrosse star Christie Wienckowski has been named valedictorian of the Class of 2010 at Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus.

The senior midfielder from Newtown Square, Pa., has either scored a goal or made an assist in each and every game she has played for the Campus’ NCAA Division I team, but she is proudest of her latest achievement as a scholar-athlete.

“Being named valedictorian is definitely unlike anything else I’ve achieved at Long Island University,” said Ms. Wienckowski, who credits the competitive attitude she developed on the playing field for making her a top student.

“My parents always told us to strive to do our best. That’s the way we were raised and why we all did so well in school and as athletes,” she added, noting that her two sisters also play lacrosse and her brother plays ice hockey.

Graduating with a double major in marketing and business and a minor in art, the 21-year-old will deliver the valedictory address at the Brooklyn Campus commencement exercises on Thursday, May 13, on the Campus’ Athletic Field in downtown Brooklyn. At the ceremony, more than 1,600 degrees will be conferred. Richard Ravitch, lieutenant governor of New York State, will be the commencement speaker and will be one of four honorary degree recipients including Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage, best-selling author Walter Mosley and entrepreneur and former NBA all-star Bernard King.

Ms. Wienckowski, who attained a 3.83 grade point average, has earned numerous honors, including the School of Business, Public Administration and Information Sciences’ Award for Excellence in Managerial Sciences and Gold Medal for Most Outstanding Undergraduate Student; the Sovereign Santander Universities Award; the Scholar/Athlete of the Year Award; membership in the Alpha Chi National College Honor Society and Sigma Beta Delta International Business Honor Society; and placement on the Northeast Conference (NEC) Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll.

“Christie is articulate and positive. She has excellent grades, genuine school and community spirit and a real will to succeed,” said Cris Gleicher, co-director of the honors program, who served on the valedictorian selection committee.

Ms. Wienckowski is one of the best all-time players in the history of the Blackbirds’ lacrosse program. As a sophomore, she led the team in goals and assists. Last year, she led her team in assists and total points. And as the 2010 season winds down, she leads the team in assists and total points. In her career at the Brooklyn Campus, she has scored 120 goals and tallied nearly 170 points.

Having scored at least one point in 65 consecutive games, Ms. Wienckowski boasts the third-longest current point-scoring streak among NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse players.

Recruited by several colleges offering lacrosse scholarships, Ms. Wienckowski chose Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus for its location, diversity, top-notch faculty and extensive internship opportunities. “I really liked the fact that it was in Brooklyn, it had a Division I team with great coaches and it was a diverse campus. You learn a lot from being around different cultures,” she said.

Ms. Wienckowski feels that she has benefitted from working closely with the faculty. “Most of my professors have been in the business world so I can trust what they have to say,” she said, adding that interning at the New York Post in classified sales helped to prepare her for “a real job.”

After graduation, her goal is to work in marketing and advertising, and eventually to pursue a graduate degree.